Tonight, millions of girls everywhere are counting down to welcome the New Year and American Girl's newest Girl of the Year™, Blaire Wilson™! Launching on January 1, Blaire—a young chef-in-training who loves bringing people together—joins American Girl's family of characters and timeless stories designed to help girls think about their own character and who they want to be. A natural people person, Blaire excels at gathering people around the dinner table but needs help finding balance between the digital world and the real world—like many people today. Through Blaire, girls will learn the importance of staying connected to the people they care about and that this means more than clicking and swiping—it means truly being there.
"We're proud to introduce fans to our 2019 Girl of the Year, Blaire Wilson—an everyday girl who thrives on using her many talents to make meaningful connections with others," says Julia Prohaska, Vice President of Marketing for American Girl. "Building and maintaining supportive relationships with family and friends is central to Blaire's story—a message we think is important to champion among girls today. In an age where families are often striving for quality time together, we hope Blaire inspires everyone to make a New Year's resolution to connect more regularly with the important people in their lives and make their time together this year really count." Blaire's story unfolds in a chapter book series written by Jennifer Castle and published by Scholastic. In the two books, available now, Blaire loves to put her cooking and decorating talents to good use on her family's sustainable farm and bed-and-breakfast in upstate New York. When the opportunity to plan the farm's first wedding arises, Blaire jumps in with gusto. However, between overextending herself to create the perfect farm-fancy event and a newly diagnosed food sensitivity that makes her self-conscious, Blaire finds herself more engaged on her devices than at real-life gatherings with others. Ultimately, through the help of her family and friends, Blaire finds a healthy balance and learns the value of being fully present at every occasion. Blaire comes to life for girls via a beautiful 18-inch doll, featuring bright green eyes and curly red hair. Blaire's world features an array of outfits, accessories, and products that reflect her life on Pleasant View Farm, including a sweet lamb and piglet, festive party decor, and Blaire's Family Farm Restaurant, with everything needed to play out a show stopping farm-to-table celebration. Fans can learn more about Blaire at the following 2019 events and activities: Blaire's New Year's Day Events: On January 1, American Girl stores nationwide are hosting Blaire's Launch Event, where girls can celebrate with a fun decorating demonstration, a hand-lettering craft, a delicious sweet treat, and a free take-home Blaire doll item. Guests can also enter for a chance to win a Blaire doll and book. For more details, visit americangirl.com/stores. Blaire Online Play: Girls can visit http://play.americangirl.com/play/girl-of-the-year/blaire for book excerpts, games and activities, and Blaire's Life at Pleasant View Farm Vlog posts from her family's sustainable farm, featuring delicious recipes, gardening tips, cooking and craft videos, and more. Blaire's Family Dinner Series: To promote mealtime togetherness, families are invited to attend a Blaire-inspired dinner series at select American Girl retail restaurants across the country in 2019. Parents can visit americangirl.com/stores to learn more or make a reservation. The Blaire collection is available on January 1, 2019, at americangirl.com; at all American Girl retail locations nationwide; and at American Girl specialty boutiques at select Indigo™ and Chapters™ locations in Canada and online at Indigo.ca. The Blaire books can also be purchased through retail and online booksellers. To request a free catalogue, call 1-800-845-0005; to join the company's loyalty program, AG Rewards™, go to americangirl.com/REWARDS.